Liam Hemsworth Talks Chemistry, Finding Love on Set of 'The Last Song'

Australian actor Liam Hemsworth is dog tired. With a rigorous press schedule to promote his first North American film, Disney's 'The Last Song' (which, incidentally, co-stars his now-girlfriend, Miley Cyrus), downtime is in short supply. As he talks with us on his hotel suite couch, it's obvious the poor lad hasn't slept enough in the past few days.

He sure is pretty, though, in a manly sort of way. His eyes are so blue it looks like he's wearing eyeliner. At only 19, his almost-6'5'' height betrays his youth. We hope for his sake he can deal with legions of screaming teens and tweens, because after they watch his oft-shirtless performance as Will in 'The Last Song', they'll be clamouring for more.

Moviefone sat down with the rising star to discuss his first-ever leading role, his obvious chemistry with his co-stars, and how he managed to find true love on set.

Australian actor Liam Hemsworth is dog tired. With a rigorous press schedule to promote his first North American film, Disney's 'The Last Song' (which, incidentally, co-stars his now-girlfriend, Miley Cyrus), downtime is in short supply. As he talks with us on his hotel suite couch, it's obvious the poor lad hasn't slept enough in the past few days.

He sure is pretty, though, in a manly sort of way. His eyes are so blue it looks like he's wearing eyeliner. At only 19, his almost-6'5'' height betrays his youth. We hope for his sake he can deal with legions of screaming teens and tweens, because after they watch his oft-shirtless performance as Will in 'The Last Song', they'll be clamouring for more.

Moviefone sat down with the rising star to discuss his first-ever leading role, his obvious chemistry with his co-stars, and how he managed to find true love on set.

How exciting was it for you to be cast in the lead role, your first lead role, in a major Disney production?
Yeah, this is definitely the biggest role I've done. It's very exciting, man. It's my first film in America, and it's the one that took all the weight off, getting the first job.

I heard that when you first came to America you didn't even have an agent.
Yeah, I didn't have an agent, no. I had an American manager who was putting me onto things and talking about me. I had been here for about five weeks before I read for 'The Last Song.' About a week later, I came back in and read with Miley, and that was it.
So it worked out right from the start, it seems.
We had great chemistry from the first time we met. We worked really well together.

Were you intimidated at all working with her, since she's so huge in America?
No, no, not at all. I really enjoy this job, and I get excited about working with other actors. I don't get nervous. I love doing it.
Not many people would consider you an acting veteran, since we don't really know the scope of your work over here, but you've done a lot, including [ridiculously popular soap opera] 'Neighbours.'
I did a bunch of stuff. I did 'Neighbours,' I did a kids' TV show, I did an Australian movie called 'Triangle.' I wouldn't say I'm a veteran, but I had been at it for about two years before I came here.

Besides the obvious chemistry with Miley, it also looked like you had a great time with your other young co-star, Bobby Coleman.Oh, yeah, he's great! He's very expressive. There's one scene where he's breaking down, throwing things, smashing stuff, and Will comes in... it was tough to watch him perform that. The reason why he was crying so much was because I would hit him in the face before every scene, and cause some pain. [Laughs]

What was it like playing the rich kid?
I come from a completely different family than Will. He has very rich, formal parents who try to force him down roads he really doesn't want to go down. My parents are the most supportive people in the world – anything I really wanted to do, they supported me 100 percent.

What was that gigantic mansion [Will's house in the movie] like in real life?
It was awesome, incredible. The driveway alone was amazing. That house has been in the family for something like 100 years. We didn't actually go in the house very much... they were kind of strict about it. We did the scene in the dining room, but that was about it.

How would you compare Georgia beaches to Australian beaches?
Beautiful, for sure, but there's no surf where we were, and that was a bit frustrating.

Ah, so you're a surfer.
Yeah, I grew up on an island in Australia, and surfing was kind of my main hobby.

Did you ever expect to find love on set?
No, not really. But [Miley and I] spent every day together filming, and it was kind of hard not to become close. We got to know each other, and really enjoyed working with each other, and it was kind of unavoidable. It just happened. She's got the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met, and she works so hard.

So now that you're in North America, there are going to be tons of opportunities for you. Is there any actor or director that you'd like to work with?
I would love to work with Ricky Gervais. I think he is just hilarious. I probably couldn't get through a scene without laughing, but we could try. As for directors, I would say James Cameron. He seems to be doing pretty well for himself. [Laughs]

What's next for you?
I'm going to do a film called 'Arabian Nights,' which is starting to film in September. I play a lead commander of an army whose king gets killed. Fighting, swords, lots of cool stuff.
More shirtlessness for you again, it seems?
I don't know! [Laughs] Possibly.
'The Last Song' opens in theatres on March 31st.